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PROTECTING AND MONITORING SMALL-SCALE

FISHERIES: THE NEED FOR A NEW APPROACH
By Michel Dejean

Small-scale fisheries are a key part of the global Blue Economy, accounting for an estimated 50% of the global
catch. There are increasing calls to monitor their activity, as today they are not regulated and do not benefit from
the technology that has proved successful for industrial fishing. But simply applying the same methods used
for industrial fishing will not work. We need a completely different approach, one that empowers these fishers,
involves them from the beginning, and gives them the right tools to fish better and more safely.

As the small-scale sector contributes half of the global catches, it is vital to include them in the planning and implementation of sustainability policies.
Introduction unreported (IUU) fishing by 2030. Small-scale fisheries
account for most of the unregulated catch, but for many
Around the world, it is increasingly recognised that ocean reasons, the approaches currently used to regulate large-
resources are finite, and fisheries need to adopt sustainable scale industrial fisheries are simply not going to work for
practices if they are to have any long-term future at all.
SSF. We must take into account the unique specificities of
Regulation of large industrial fisheries started some 30 years traditional fishing.
ago; for the vast majority of the fleet, their practices, locations
and catches are all monitored and recorded. This has helped Some inherent challenges
the authorities to tackle illegal fishing, allowing them to halt
or restrict activities in areas where fish stocks are threatened. The monitoring and regulation of industrial fishing has been
possible because the sector is partly funded through fines
However, it is estimated that small-scale fisheries (SSF) levied on rule-breakers and through permits and licenses
account for 50 % of the global catch and 95 % of the world’s sold. The big players are easily identified, and enforcement
fishers. As a result, there is a growing push to include small can be targeted accordingly. By comparison, few traditional
scale fishing in fisheries management—to understand how fishers can afford the same type of equipment that industrial
much is caught, which species and where, and to put in place fisheries are required to install. Identifying all the small-scale
systems that empower these traditional communities. fishers and then trying to impose fisheries management

Added to which, the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization practices upon them in the same way is going to be virtually
of the United Nations) has stated its intention to work impossible as available resources simply do not exist to apply
with regulatory authorities to end illegal, unregulated and this kind of enforcement model to 50 million people.

INFOFISH International 3/2020 ● www.infofish.org